Bestest Asbestos Presents: “The Glorification of Gangster”
A Sensory Exploration into the Cultural Impact of Organized Crime
by Alex Haldi

The World Monuments Fund Gallery, located at 15 East 27th Street between Madison & Fifth Avenues, will host “The Glorification of Gangster,” a mixed-media exhibition by Alex Haldi. This is a one night only exhibit on Thursday, May 12th, 2011 from 7-11pm with a media-only preview at 6pm.

Alex Haldi has worked as an art director and designer to help develop some of the biggest names in music including Jay-Z, Rihanna, Ludacris, Big Boi (Outkast), Wu Tang, and J. Cole. Having spent the majority of his career in the hip hop industry, Alex became astutely aware of the violence and machismo that defined ‘gangster’ rap. The fascination with the theme of organized crime was not only limited to the music industry; cultures, religions and even cartoons from all over the world are captivated with the gangster life.

In the exhibition, Alex explores this cultural obsession with visual art, original music and installation. The show will include live performances and an accompanying Soundtrack of original work, remixes and classic covers. Featured perfomers and contributers include J.Cole, Kris Kasanova, Elite, Jon Connor, Netherfriends, lowercaseletters, Loyal Divide and many more. A portion of the proceeds from print and merchandise sales will go to Camp Kayak.

Please visit the website for more information and contact here for press inquires. To RSVP, please email here. For more about Alex, please visit his website or you can find his works in progress, influences and general ramblings at his tumblr.

In April 2008 Camp Lo signed with SRC/ Universal Records. They have changed their name to The Lo. This name change was a recommendation from NYC’s Hot 97 DJ Mr. Cee. He suggested that this would assist the guys in reintroducing themselves to the mainstream.